I had the XM system for a week in a rental in NJ and NY. Driving around Atlantic City, up the parkway and around suburban Montclair, NJ, then the ultimate test, the canyons of Manhattan, the XM signal was very strong and clear. Dropouts occured when stuck in traffic and going under a bridge or overpass at less than 30-40 mph, since the data buffer in the radio wasn't big enough to handle the loss of signal. Of course, the Lincoln Tunnel was a "blackout" for XM, but driving around Manhattan we didn't lose signal once. Have to admit, the "All Elvis" channel was cool . . . for 10 minutes.